Ri ‧ o de Ja ‧ nei ‧ ro /ˌriːəʊ də ʒəˈnɪ ə rəʊ $ -deɪ ʒəˈne ə rəʊ/ BrE AmE ( also Rio )
a large city and port in East Brazil. Rio was the capital of Brazil until the new city of Brasilia was built in 1960. It is famous for its beaches, such as the ↑ Copacabana , its ↑ carnival , and for Sugarloaf Mountain, on which there is a very large ↑ statue of Jesus Christ.